The Design Journal — Page 5
Occasional bad takes, mostly good banter, and a few UX/UI opinions worth keeping.
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Figma Icon Library: From 786 Scattered SVGs to 240 Design System Components
I found 786 icons with no index, no naming system, and 80 duplicates. Eight weeks later they were 240 named components in 23 categories. Here's the audit and the ratio that made it work.
I Built the Onboarding Flow. Eight Users Told Me the Order Was Wrong.
I built an onboarding flow that asked new users to add items right away. Eight interviews later, every single person did the opposite: skip items, build structure first.
Why I Code My Prototypes With Claude Instead of Faking Them
I build prototypes as real, running apps. Claude makes that fast enough for a designer to iterate. Here's why coded beats fake for the questions I need to answer.
How to Find (and Get) a Job in a Tough Market (2026)
Applying for jobs sucks. A recruiter-turned-designer shares job search hacks for a tough market: skip cover letters, master boolean search, and protect your sanity.
OMG, Is AI Going to Take Our Jobs? Yes, No, Maybe
Will AI take our jobs? A recruiter-turned-designer's honest take, updated with real 2026 data: Anthropic's own numbers show people pairing with AI more than handing it the whole task, and problem-solvers still win.
Breaking the Config Seal – My First Time at the Figma Conference
A first-timer's honest recap of Figma's Config conference in San Francisco: buffer days, crashing side events, meeting design heroes, and why you should just go.